The long-awaited poker game between Rafael Nadal and the football pro Ronaldo took place at the popular Hippodrome Casino in London and attracted hundreds of fans who wanted to congratulate two of the best sports stars of all times.
The event was organized by PokerStars with the aim of raising funds for a charitable organization.
The casino of Hippodrome is believed to be one of the most appealing gambling venues in London that gathers hundreds of players on a daily basis. On November 19th, casino owners were honored to play host to the prestigious event, in which two of the most notable sportsmen participated. Rafael Nadal has won the Grand Slam 14 times. Ronaldo, respectively, is popular for being a football star with indisputable skills.
At the beginning, both players were allowed to play for 20 minutes and to show what have they learnt about the poker game so far.
At the end, Rafael Nadal became the winner who achieved an overwhelming victory and contributed to the charitable cause. His total earnings were equal to $50,000 and he donated the entire amount to his Foundation, established seven years ago with the aim of helping discriminated and abused children, endangered of becoming excluded by the society.
As soon as the event was over, Nadal told the media that the poker game pretty much resembles tennis as it requires the player to have a combination of skills, such as ability to predict what the next move of the opponent will be and to know what you are supposed to do on every stage of the game.
He also added that he was happy to be a winner and he considered one of his last moves to be a really wise one. Nadal also added that he respected Ronaldo as a football player and he thought that the chance to play against one another was a great opportunity. He even said that he was ready for a rematch if Ronaldo wished so.
Ronaldo also commented the game and said that he made a few mistakes but nevertheless Nadal had a better hand. Despite the loss, Ronaldo confirmed that he enjoyed the game very much.
As a matter of fact, the match, that took place in London, was not the first defeat of Ronaldo. Back in December, the stars played against one another in Prague where the European Poker Tour Charity Challenge was held.
After the first victory, Ronaldo as well as the two poker stars – Daniel Negreanu and Fatima Moreira de Melo, confessed that Nadal can take pride in having excellent poker skills.
